Learning Curves
by CeilidhMae
Summary: Sometimes you just have to make the choice thats best for yourself, no matter what others think. Sequal to Life lessons.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My back cracked as I pulled my arms behind me and bent forward, stretching out the muscles. It didn't hurt, and actually felt good. After spending my last free weekend of the year going over collage applications with Anya and Belinda it was nice to be moving again. I held my position for a minute before unclasping my hands and straightening out.

I was in the gym, and pretty much alone, except for a smattering of other novices, all of whom were trying to get in some last minute practise before the start of exams. Most I knew would fail, but not the one standing in front of me. Aj was my younger brother, and probably the sibling I was most close to out of the six I had. He had finished his stretches and was looking at me expectantly.

"Alright then," I told him as I got in position, "step over the line it's a point for the other person, a hit is a point for you, but it must be below the neck, first one to ten wins," I told him simply.

Aj nodded and positioned himself on the opposite side of the white floor line. I didn't give him much time to get ready before I struck out with my fist. It landed with a hard smack on his shoulder, and caused him to stumble backwards cursing.

"Damnit Anna! I wasn't ready!" He told me sharply as he jumped back to the line, rubbing his shoulder.

Striking out again, I caught him in the other arm, "two points to me," I told him simply, "A strigoi isn't going to wait till your ready Aj," I pointed out as I dodged the punch he threw at me. At the same time, his foot came forward, catching my shin.

"Point," he said simply, a grin crossing his young features. Aj was two years younger than I was, but mentally I was sure the age gap had to be at least five years.

I danced backwards, avoiding two more punches and a kick before forcing him into the defensive position and attacking with a quick kick, which landed pretty hard in his gut, "point," I told him simply. We continued on for about five minutes, the attacks and dodges coming quicker and quicker. In the end, I pulled off a narrow lead by only one point, but it was still a win for me.

"Best two of three?" Aj asked me, upset no doubt over his loss. I had started helping him train for exams last week, and he had yet to defeat me. It just went to prove that those two years of training went quite a ways. I was going to say fine when I felt a Moroi life step into the gym building. I smiled as I turned to fine my boyfriend, Lexie Dragomir waving at me from the door, I waved back and heard Aj snort, "I guess that is a no," he no doubt rolled his eyes at that one. Although Aj got along well with Lexie, and we had known each other since birth, he didn't like the idea of him dating his sister.

"I don't want to see you cry again today," I told him as I threw a playful punch at his shoulder. My brother dodged it easily and scowled.

"I nearly had you this time Anna-Marie!" He told me as I headed towards where Lexie was waiting for me.

"In your dreams maybe," I tossed back at him over my shoulder, "hey you," I greeted Lexie as I stopped in front of him.

"Hey yourself," he smiled down at me as he pulled me into a hug. His lips found mine, and I lost myself in the simple kiss, as he pulled away from me he asked, "so, what are your plans for tonight?"

I shrugged, loosing myself in those beautiful sea green eyes, and messy dark hair, "nothing for after supper," I told him as I pulled out of his grip, "right now though? Showering seems like a good call," I laughed.

Lexie wrinkled his nose, "definitely a good idea," he tells me with a smile, "you stink Anna," he added with a laugh.

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him, "one of the downsides of dating a novice, deal with it," I told him with a grin, "give me five ok?" Asked as I stepped out of the hug and turned for the locker room.

"If you shower I'll give you ten, but then I'm outta here," he tells me, I rolled my eyes. I knew full well he would still be waiting there in an hour if I took that long. He just liked to talk a tough game, but I knew better. I had Lexie wrapped right around my middle finger, he just didn't realize it yet.

That of course, was going to be a problem. I was due to graduate at the end of the year, there was no way in hell I (or rather we) were going to make any sort of relationship last past that. It would be near impossible. Alexei Dragomir was the son of the Queen, he would have the top, seasoned guardians around him at all times, he would go to college, he would then sit on his family council. His life was simple, it was safe.

Mine wasn't. I was destined to be stuck with one Moroi (or family) for the rest of my life. That's what I had trained for. I would have little time off, and I wouldn't have time for any relationships or a family of my own. I would be tied to one person (or family), and they would be my priority. No one else.

Not my family. Not my friends. Not Lexie. Not my own life.

Someone else's life, someone who, chances were, I wouldn't even know before I was assigned.

I showered quickly and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black sweater before going back out into the gym. I smiled as I saw Lexie, still waiting for me but looking at his watch. He tapped it with a grin before speaking, "took you long enough, fifteen minutes, god Anna..." I rolled my eyes and he laughed.

"You love me," I tell him as I kiss him quickly, shoulder my bag and head out of the gym.

"Why, I don't know," he tells me with a smirk as he jogs to keep up.

"Because I'm amazing," I reply as I look over at him. He just laughed but didn't say anything. That's how our relationship was. It was easy, we joked a lot and we had a good time. There was no jealousy, no fighting, nothing like that. We had our group of friends, we had others we hung out with apart from each other.

Long story short, we were still best friends. Albeit, we were also a little more than that, but mostly we were friends. It was nice actually, and it wasn't something I wanted to mess up, not now, not ever. It was however, something that couldn't, wouldn't last.

"What are you thinking about Anna?" Lexie asked me as we walked towards the dhampir dorms.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, " I lied quickly. I hated lying to him, I really did but...Well, it was just something that had to happen right now.

"Liar," he tells me. That was another thing, we pretty much knew each other inside and out, meaning we didn't often get away with much. I sighed and shook my head, "Come on Anna, spill," he tells me seriously.

"It's just..." I sighed and kicked a rock before glancing up at the clear, June, evening sky. God it was beautiful out, and warm...Why was I wearing a sweater? I shook my head before saying slowly, "the field trails are coming up..." I trailed off.

"So? You'll do great, bet your the top of your class, unless Emilie beats you out of it," he tells me with a smile, "It's going to be fine Anna, only three months left, then we're free."

I sighed and shook my head as I pushed open the door to the dorms, "No Lex, it's three more months, then your free," I tell him sadly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

That evening found the lot of us in one of the lounges in the Moroi dorm, looking over college stuff. Yay, just what I wanted to spend my last free Friday night doing. At least Kyle, god bless his soul, had somehow rustled up some coolers, alcoholic coolers. Yum...Although I didn't drink much, I had a soft spot for Smirnoff ice cranberry and lime coolers, which I had.

So, for the most part I was happy enough to sit and listen, sort of, to my Moroi friends fret about their futures. Actually, it was more like I was studying them, and thinking about how our futures would be. There were six of us in our little group, all of us seniors this year, all of us from Royal families, and high ranking families at that, and pretty much all of us had been friends since we were in diapers.

That is, with the exception of Belinda. Tall, dark hair and eyes, tanned skin (weird for a moroi) and a charming smile. She was gorgeous, she was elegant, she was a Conta, grand-daughter of the Conta Princess. Originally I had liked her, actually more like we had hated each other. She had had some issues with me as a Dhampir (royal dhampir at that), and she had hated Miranda.

Miranda had been one of my dearest friends. She was a dhampir with beautiful red hair, baby blue eyes and a heart of gold. The daughter of a bloodwhore, she hadn't been allowed to attend the academy thanks to her mother. When we were thirteen, she had been killed by strigoi. Belinda had been directly responsible for making her take off into the night.

She was sitting on the couch at one end of the small coffee table, at the other end of the table, sitting on the floor on the opposite side of said table was Kyle Voda. Kyle was the son of the Voda Prince, tall, blond with beautiful blue eyes and a killer body. Even though I loved him like a brother, and I loved Lexie to death, I had to admit that Kyle was hot. He and Miranda had had a thing going on between them before she died, and he and Belinda had hated each other for the longest time. Now though...Now I was sure something was going to happen between the two of them.

"Urrg! I don't know what the hell I want to do!" Aniya broke the silence in the room. With long platinum blond hair, and bright blue eyes, Aniya was meant for the runway. She should be a model or actress as far as I was concerned, but I knew better than that. She was smart as a whip, feisty and she really wanted to do something worthwhile. Politics, teaching, medicine, nothing was above her.

Especially not medicine, like her mother, Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, Aniya was a spirit user who excelled in healing just about anything thing.

"Just pick something Aniya, not like you wouldn't be able to do it, " Emilie Belikov said from where she was lounging beside Belinda. Emilie was probably my closest female friend, and the only other Dhampir in our group. She was the spitting image of her mother, Tasha Ozera, with her long coal black hair and electric blue eyes. Although extremely easy going, and generally joking around, Emilie was deadly. She was quick, strong and the only other novice that came close to me as far as talent went.

Last, there was Lexie, who was sitting beside me only half looking at the papers and books in front of him. He was tall, with dark hair, and bright sea green eyes. He was gorgeous, perfect, the only son of Queen Vasilisa and her husband, Christian Ozera. He was also the youngest (but only by fifteen minutes as he liked to remind Aniya), and probably the smartest. He was also the love of my life, and I couldn't believe that I spend three years turning him down, and that after three years of being with him, I was going to have to give him up.

Damn, life really was a bitch. It really wasn't fair.

"Earth to Anna, come in Anna," Emilie was waving a hand in front of my face, while the Moroi laughed.

"Yeah, what?" I asked as I sipped my cooler, just before Lexie stole it from me.

"You sure you want to finish that Anna?" he asked with a laugh, "it's already messing with your mind."

I snatched at the bottle, "is not," I told him with a frown.

"Oh yeah? So what has Voda been trying to ask you for the last five minutes?" he asked me, a smile playing on his lips.

"I...Well...I have no sweet clue," I said with a pout as I leaned against one of the chairs, "What's up Kyle?" I asked him.

Kyle smiled good naturedly and shook his head before repeating, "what do you hope to be doing after grad? I know you and Em don't get as much freedom as we do in choosing but still..." he trailed off.

I hesitated before saying with a shrug, "I haven't thought about it, I guess I'll get assigned to some Royal Moroi and then I spend my life protecting them, right?" I asked, "I mean, you're right we don't get much of a choice."

Beside me, I could feel Lexie go from being relaxed, to tense and unsure. I sighed to myself at this change in him, it was my fault. Really it was. After all, I told him three years ago that we weren't going to be together forever. We had three years really before real life took over, then we'd have to split up, or hurt each other when neither of us deserved it. There would be no happily ever after, no matter what he thought. Lexie had agreed, telling me that at that point, he'd take what he could get.

It hadn't been what I wanted, but that's how life is, sad fact really.

Emilie nodded, "you guys are so lucky," she told them with an almost sad smile.

"Like you'd go to college," Aniya said rolling her eyes at Emilie's comment.

"Not the point Cousin," she replies with a shrug, "it'd be nice to have the choice is all I'm saying.' She finished.

"You do have a choice," Belinda pointed out as she moved a piece of dark hair from her face and looked over, "you don't have to be a Guardian."

It was my turn to laugh, "yeah, we could just not do it and live as outcasts. Either thought of as bloodwhores, or live with the humans," I pointed out. It was another sad fact, Emilie and I? We had three choices in life, live as a lot of dhampir women did, servicing Moroi men and having kids, live amongst the humans cut off from the rest of our world, or become guardians.

The others were quiet, just looking at me the college stuff was forgotten for a moment. My ability to feel emotions, to read people, told me I had just shocked the hell out of every one of them. Usually I didn't say too much after all...

"I gotta go to bed," I said, suddenly uncomfortable with the lot of them, "Promised I train with AJ again tomorrow morning..." I added before grabbing my bag and getting up. I left the room by myself, but didn't make it halfway down the hall before I heard the door open and shut again. I knew it was Lexie, but I kept walking.

Even after I had left the dorm and headed towards the woods on the far side, I kept walking. It wasn't until we were a ways from the dorms, and from the school in general, just on the edge of the wards that I stopped and looked back. As I had known I would, Lexie had followed me. He was standing five feet or so off from me, his eyes filled with concern.

I watched him for a moment, before closing the distance between us, putting my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. I didn't cry, even though I felt completely and utterly cheated out of everything. There would be no college, no family, no Lexie for me. No nothing but a life time of service, and a ninety percent chance of dying before I reached the age of thirty.

"It doesn't have to end Anna," Lexie whispered in my ear as he held me close, rubbing my back.

"It does, and you know it Lex," I told him with a sigh, unable to look up and met his eyes.

He was quiet for a moment before asking, "Why? Why does it have to end now Anna?" he asked me softly.

"Not now," I told him with a shake of my head, "but soon, and because life is going to get in the way Lexie, and it's not right," I told him, my voice a little shaky, "you shouldn't be with a dhampir now, let alone in a couple years."

He froze for a moment and stiffened slightly before dropping his arms and stepping back, "don't go there Anna," he tells me in a low whisper, "not now, not ever."

"Why the hell not Lexie? You know as well as I do, you need..."

"I don't need anything or anyone but you Anna! I love you, end of story and I don't give a flying fuck what anyone else has to say about it," he said with a snort, "Why can't you see that?"

I looked up at him, meeting his upset and angry green eyes. My heart broke in that instant and I bit my bottom lip before shaking my head, "I love you too Lexie, and because of that I don't want to hurt you, not now, not ever."

"Bullshit, you wouldn't be saying any of this if you meant that, because you're hurting me now Anna," he told me in a low voice, "I'm not ready to give you up, I don't want to give you up, and I won't without a fight."

I shook my head and turned away, "we have three months..." I started in a low whisper.

"Three months, seriously? You're giving our relationship an expiry date? Really?" He asked me, his tone and energy suggesting he was actually hurt by this.

I nodded, "I guess I am, but Lexie..."

"Forget it Anna, I'm not listening to this, not now," he cut me off, "Goodnight Anna," he tells me before he turns and walks back towards the school. I waited until I couldn't hear him anymore before sitting against the trunk of a tree and pulling my knees to my chest.

It was then that I cried, and it was there that Aniya of all people found me. She didn't say anything, just sat beside me and put her arms around my shoulder, letting me cry my tears. When I finished, we sat in silence for what had to be fifteen or twenty minutes before I finally spoke.

"I messed up Aniya," I told her, shaking my head.

She shook her head, "Nah, I don't think so. Lex will come around, just give him some time."

I shook my head again, "times not going to fix this, time is the problem. We have three months Aniya, just three months then..." I choked and stopped as fresh tears came to my eyes, "I'm not ready to say good bye to him."

She pulled me closer, "and he's not ready to say it to you either, so why force it?" she asked me. I started to answer, but she didn't let me get a word in before adding, "if you weren't graduating this year, if you weren't going to become a guardian, would you be ending this relationship?" she asked me.

"Of course not," I told her with what had to be a look of shock on my face.

"Then why are you ending it now?" She asked me.

"Because it's going to be near impossible to keep going," I told her, a little amazed that she couldn't see that.

She smiled softly, "Since when have you given up on something that was difficult Anna?" She asked me before adding, "besides, nothing worth having is easy," she pointed out.

"It's not the same," I told her, "besides we can still be friends, he'll always been my best friend," I pointed out.

"Anna, Anna, Anna," Aniya said with a sigh, "saying we can still be friends after this kind of relationship is akin to asking your mother if you can keep your dead dog, it's not going to happen, it's not going to be the same," she pointed out, "it's one or the other, let him go completely, or keep up the relationship."

I just looked at her, stared and sighed. I didn't know if what she said was right or not, but I knew one thing, I wasn't ready to give up my best friend, not yet. Not ever.


End file.
